Georgia earns No. 1 ranking in U.S. for business

Gov. Nathan Deal announced Monday that Georgia’s business climate has been named No. 1 in the nation by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation’s top economic development trade publications.

“Making Georgia the premier state in the nation for business has been a strategic goal from day one of my administration,” said Deal. “We have worked hard to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate business needs not only today, but in the future. Achieving this national recognition means we are on the right track and reminds us of the importance of continuing to strive for excellence in all we do.”

“Georgia is a regular top finisher in our annual analysis of state business climates, with five top-10 placements in the last five years,” said Site Selection editor-in-chief Mark Arend. “Executives at companies investing there regularly point to its many logistics advantages, cutting-edge workforce training programs, particularly Quick Start, and proactive economic developers on the state and local levels who understand the business requirements of today’s capital investors.”

The magazine releases its annual rankings each November, bases its research partially on a survey of corporate real estate executives and in part by an index of tax burden criteria according to the Tax Foundation and KPMG’s Location Matters analysis and the states’ performance in Conway Data’s New Plant Database, which tracks new and expanded business facility activity.

Georgia has ranked among the top 10 states in Site Selection’s business climate rankings over the last 10 years, and moves up from No. 4 last year. The Peach State makes frequent appearances on national “Top 10” lists for business, including No. 2 in Area Development’s 2013 rankings and No. 8 in CNBC’s annual rankings.

“Our top-ranking business climate would not be possible without the efforts of our partners across the state who have long worked to position Georgia as a global economic powerhouse,” said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Rankings like these serve as a great calling card for site selectors, and then it’s up to us to follow up and give them deeper insight into our vast resources for business.”